Merging Destiny
by Killer999
Summary: A former Marine Andrew Hernandez is summoned to stop the evil that threatens Thedas. Andrew and Daylen Amell, a young mage, are bound together to face the future threats that will be the death of thousands if not stopped. The first task: join the Grey Wardens to stop the Blight. OC self insert
1. Chapter 1

Andrew Hernandez slammed the door to his black 2012 Honda Accord and went to grab the duffel bag from the trunk that contained the few possessions he had with him when Andrew was stationed at Fort McCoy. Slinging it over his shoulder Andrew made his way up to the door leading into the apartment complex where he lived and opened the door. Hearing the door shut behind him he began moving up the stairs to his apartment. 'How long has it been since I've been here?' Andrew thought to himself as he reached the top floor.

Heading down to the last door on the right Andrew opened the door and entered the apartment. The first thing he noticed was it was extremely dark. No surprise since all the blinds were closed and it was near midnight. Opening the blinds in the living room revealed the nighttime winter suburban city of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Andrew flipped a switch and light filled the room revealing a thin layer of dust in some of the apartment indicating it had not been some time since he was here last.

"Home sweet home," Andrew muttered as he went to the fridge and noticed it was empty aside from a few cans of beer and slightly rotten pizza. Andrew frowned and said, "Just great. I really know how to shop. Nice work self." Grabbing a can of beer and throwing the pizza away he made the way to the living room. Tossing his coat to the side he sat down on his couch as he began to flip through the channels on his flat screen.

Tossing the remote aside Andrew laid his head down on the couch and let the feeling of slumber he felt take him as he watched ESPN though not really paying attention as he drifted off.

A banging noise woke Andrew from his slumber as he raised his head trying to focus. He shook his head trying to shake of the remaining feeling of sleepiness from his body as he got up and went to answer the door.

Andrew opened the door to see the familiar smile and brown mischievous eyes Emile Hart, a childhood friend. Andrew and Emile met after his parents and sister were killed, but Emile was never really a friend in Andrew's mind during that period of time. Andrew during that time had felt Emile had been an annoyance at the time because Andrew wanted to be alone. As time had gone on Emile had grown on him and the two became friends. The two remained good friends and had even served together in the marines until Andrew left.

"Emile? I thought you were still out…" Andrew began. Emile pushed his way in and looked around whistling. "...come on in," Andrew muttered as he closed the door and turned around to see Emile filling up his fridge.

"Thought you would need some food. You haven't been around for what… three months? Well, aside from some visits here and there," Emile told him as he closed the fridge door. "Heard you retired. Care to explain?"

"I grew tired of living as a Marine. I spent time traveling between assignments and eventually stationed at Fort McCoy. First few assignments were training recruits at boot camp and some guard postings. I didn't really feel… I mean…" Andrew just stopped talking and went silent.

"You felt as if being a Marine meant nothing anymore. It took more than it gave. It helped you find a stability you didn't have for years. Though when Lisa died… it took the fight out of you. Made you give up," Emile finished.

"Yeah…" Andrew muttered as he walked into the bathroom.

Emile watched as he shut the door and sighed. Emile recalled when they served in Afghanistan from 2008 to late 2010. A woman named Lisa and them had been in the same squad fighting together for months. Andrew and Lisa became close. Sharing stories of their past and what they joined the Marines for. To them, it became a solace. Andrew began to finally revert to his previous self. They began dating, or what could count for dating at the time, and were both incredibly happy for a good amount of time. Some time during their second tour they were ambushed in a narrow pass. The attack was repelled, but Lisa had suffered a fatal wound and died because . Emile remembered their sad parting and recalled what she told him as her last words, "Don't let me become a burden to him, Emile. Promise me you'll help him." Emile nodded as he saw the life fade from his close friend's eyes.

Emile looked at the door. "I'm not sure what I can do, Lisa. He's falling deeper in the darkness. I don't know what to do," he whispered. He looked up. "I need help. He's lost too much already… and he's slipping away more each day."

Andrew splashed the water to the face as the water from the faucet. Looking into the mirror he looked into his face. A round face with striking odd silver colored eyes staring right back at him. His brown straight hair and tanned skin with a few scars gained from the fights he's been in. "Why the hell is Emile here? Whatever, it's better than anything I had planned today."

Grabbing the towel he had near him he dried his face and tossed it in the hamper. Walking out he saw Emile in the living room grinning and playing on his black Xbox 360. Curious, help looked on the screen and saw the game's title pop up: _Dragon Age Origins_. "What are you playing?"

"Dragon Age," he replied simply.

"And what game is that?"

Emile gave an incredulous look at Andrew. "You seriously never played Dragon Age or its two sequels?"

"No." Andrew looked at Emile as if he grew a second head. He knew the former soldier rarely played any video games and preferred to read or watch a little TV, sometimes going out with a drink with some old friends he made while serving with the Marines or the boys stationed at Fort McCoy.

"Man, sit down and start playing. I'll be back with the other games for you to loan in an hour." Emile shakes his head as he walks towards the door. "Never heard of Dragon Age…" Emile mumbled. "I'll change that."

 _A month later…_

Andrew just finished Dragon Age: Inquisition and all the DLC for the second time. Emile was right about one thing: the game series was good. Though he heard people didn't really like the sequel to Origins, but he readily disagreed. The only issue Andrew had was they recycled a lot of the locations. Sighing, he had set the controller on the table next to him.

Spending the month like this helped more than he'd care to admit. Andrew had come up with a normal routine now that he was out of the military. Waking up early and getting ready for the day. Shower, an hour run, hitting the gym, and sitting down enjoying his personal time were the normal activities he had been doing day to day. Andrew was meaning to find a job, but he had enough money to live comfortably for a few more months.

Andrew's opinion of the series was good. He explored the exact possible choices and consequences of his actions and had formed opinions on the characters themselves. His favorite romance was with Leliana. The kind-hearted redhead had made an impression on him. Both of them had rough lives and in a way felt connected to her, but he knew she was just a game character. Though as Leliana matured more and more as the series went on she became much darker than she had been in Origins.

Much like Andrew himself had become much more reclusive and introverted as time came by. Friends left to move on with their lives. Remaining family members giving up on the man believing they could do no more to help him if Andrew didn't try to get better like Leliana did if the Inquisitor made all the positive choices that lead to her eventual change.

Andrew noticed each character had their likes, quirks,and dislikes. It made them seem real. Talking and exploring their pasts were a interesting experience that Andrew took joy in learning. Andrew never been a heavy gamer, but he can honestly say Dragon Age was a great game series. Andrew had never been a gamer because of his limited time he spent relaxing alone because he preferred to do something productive instead of sitting in front of a TV.

Standing up and stretching to loosen his stiff muscles he made his way to the kitchen. After getting a Mountain Dew Andrew looks outside to see it snowing heavily. A small smile walked onto his face. "Another Wisconsin winter… going to be fun hunting in this."

It was early December and Andrew had planned a two week hunting season. A final way to enjoy his downtime before searching for another job. He offered for Emile to join him, but the man had said he was going to be spending the holidays with his family. He would do the same, but…

"Might as well get ready. Going to be a long drive north." After several trips later after retrieving his gear and supplies Andrew gets in the truck Emile had let him borrow for the hunt he had been planning. He prepared for the long drive north. Using this time to think he came to the conclusion that the purpose of this hunt was to spend time to heal. Something Andrew has been hard considering how his life has gone.

Spending time with his father as a child Andrew had learned to use a bow and became quite good at it. It was an activity that allowed him to bond with his father, Adrian. Over time his mother, Serena, began teaching him martial arts until she became pregnant. His sister Sylvia was born nine months later. The six year old Andrew promised to be the best older brother he could to his new sister. Six years had passed since young Sylvia was born into the Hernandez family, to them it had been the happiest time of their lives.

Unfortunately, it would not last. Andrew was needed at his grandparents' house for the weekend to help around the house they had just moved into and the rest of his family would be there later to help finish up. To him, it was a normal day until he heard his grandmother, Amelia, on the phone. She sounded frantic and worried which is unusual for the normally happy woman. Andrew remembered when he heard the news of his family's death. He had been washing dishes and had dropped the one had had been cleaning. Andrew had never been the same when he heard the reason for their deaths. That is when Andrew's heart began to grow as cold as ice.

Recently, he tried to get back into what he used to do so Andrew had decided to start practicing his old hunting skills to get himself back on track with his life. Time heals all wounds, or so they say. Andrew decided to put that to the test. One last try, one last attempt to try to move on. Had he only known what truly awaited him when Andrew would travel to Ironside State Forest. Luckily, the truck Emile loaned him is large enough for anything he managed to kill and it is decently sized for the job.

 _Nearing State Forest..._

Driving down the road Andrew felt the cool winter breeze come through the open winter. A faint smile graced his lips. Seems he had gotten lucky with the weather. The next two weeks would be cold but little to no snow would be seen. "Should be a good time. Two weeks in a mildly cold December winter. Game should be plenty here.," Andrew mused as he went into the small parking lot. Looking around he saw it was empty. Not surprising see because it was very early hunting season, but give a day or so it will be much busier.

Taking a deep breathe, Andrew began unloading his hunting gear and looking through it to make sure he had brought what he needed for the next two weeks. Nodding at seeing he had everything Andrew grabbed his equipment and began to trek into the forest not noticing the slowly gathering clouds in the sky.

A week had passed with no change. Andrew had been tracking a whitetail deer for the past few days, or what he was guessing that was what he was tracking. He had found the tracks two days before and they had been fresh at the time. Andrew followed the trail to a small stream and had lost the supposed deer before finding several more trails that all were dead ends. He had just picked up a new trail and had yet to come upon a dead end so he assumed the animal he had been tracking was still in the area Andrew was in. By the footprints, it looked to be an elk. Looking around he looked for any signs of animal activity but saw nothing and moved on.

He looked up to see a red-brown elk looked around sniffing the area. Judging by the antlers this one is male seeing how females don't have antlers. His head looked around constantly. He seemed ready to bolt and knew Andrew was nearby. Kneeling and using the woods as cover, Andrew raised his bow and carefully took aim readying to launch his arrow at the cautious elk. He released the arrow and it flew true to its target, but Andrew had miscalculated the wind when he shot so he missed the elk just barely.

The elk looked and Andrew and then bolted further into the forest. "Shit!" Andrew exclaimed. Following after the elk he had to weave around the surrounding trees trying to get a good shot on the elk. The elk was far quicker than Andrew, so he had one chance, and Andrew knew it would be his last chance to put down his quarry. Raising his bow in his last effort to end the chase he let loose his arrow on the elk.

The deities of hunting seemed to be on his side as it hit the elk at an angle to cause the death blow and it fell to the ground unmoving. He carefully came out and approached the elk with caution wary of it still being alive to retaliate in defense.

Looking over Andrew looked around for any sign of life in the elk, but found none. It took a few gentle tugs, but he managed to remove the arrow from the now deceased elk. "A clean shot. I doubt he felt much pain," Andrew observed panting. "You brought me on quite the chase…" Shaking his head Andrew began the process of taking the elk back to his camp.

Along the way it began to snow lightly. He looked up at the slowly darkening sky seeing the snowfall. "Weird. It wasn't too cloudy earlier…" He shrugged. It was winter. Snow was just apart of the season.

 _Next Morning..._

Andrew opened his eyes to the sound of something rustling. He blinked a few times and looked around his tent when he finally identified the sound: wind. The wind was blowing up against the tent causing the noise that he woke up to. From the sound of it the wind was extremely strong. Opening the tent he saw his entire camp filled with snow. Snow was pouring down from the clouds that looked to be nowhere close to stopping. Combining the snow and wind getting out of here was going to be… troublesome.

Frowning, Andrew knew the logical thing would be to wait out the snowstorm, but if the snow didn't stop he was in deep trouble. He had used up a week or so supplies already and the trail back to his truck was covered in snow. He had made some carvings in the trees as a trail back to his car. However, the weather outside would not let him see too clearly, so for now it was the waiting game.

Nearing the end of his two week hunting trip and the snow had not let up. The wind had died down somewhat, but Andrew had almost run out of supplies. The last time he had gone to the truck was when he had brought the elk there. At the time the snow was still falling at a very slow pace so Andrew had nothing to be worried about at the time seeing as what the forecast said for the next few weeks. Only then did he realize the fatal mistake he may have just made that could result in the death of him. He only checked it before he left making no effort to check it afterwards when he should have been checking it daily. Andrew is normally more cautious about this. However, it seemed Andrew began to enjoy himself a bit too much that he seemed to not remember this one detail that could have prevented this entire situation.

Andrew looked around the camp to see all of his equipment buried in snow without there being time to retrieve it. 'Oh, well… there goes a lot of good equipment. It doesn't matter though, I can replace all of it with time. My life is more important than hunting supplies. Now we need to start heading back the way I came,' he thought. Taking nothing more than his bow, quiver of arrows, his Beretta handgun, the last of his food supplies, and other small items he had in his tent Andrew began making his way back to his truck and hopefully get out of this situation.

Trying to follow the signs he left on the trees Andrew kept his straining his eyes to see the indents carved in the trees. Unluckily for the soldier he could not see the trail anymore and looked around trying to pick up the trail. "Come on. Where is it?" Andrew muttered.

Unknown to him he did not know the predator that had lurked in the area. One that was hungry and had just found its last meal for the winter before going into hibernation.

Andrew is lost. The weather just worked against him and his current situation had left little solutions that would help him in his current situation. With the wind and snow Andrew would more than likely he would starve or freeze to death. Emile knew that he was out here but would not likely be able to get help to Andrew in time. Andrew sighed. "What was supposed to be a fun trip will now more than likely be my death. Just because of a stupid mistake on my part not looking at the weather." Shivering, the soldier just continued to walk.

Now having the time to once more think his mind wandered to Andrew. 'Why did you show up, old friend? I am nothing but a broken vessel than had died years ago. Yet, it seemed unlikely for you to show up, Emile, but you always did when I was in pain. You always had some stupid joke or a smile on your face in the worst of times. One of the few people in my life I still talk to. It was you who helped me when my sister and parents died despite my efforts to get you to leave me alone. Again, you seemed to be there when Gramps and Grandma passed on. Now, with Lisa gone, you happened to just be there? Emile, are you trying to help me…? Trying to help me not get stuck in the past again…? I've never been very open, but you didn't care… and now I'm just self pitying on you and myself. I sound like such a pansy right now. Yet I can't help like feel like a broken tool. You and our old squad were trying to pull me out of the darkness. I just couldn't...wouldn't… let you help like you all tried. Thank you… and if I make it out of here I swear things will be different.'

Andrew heard a snap of a branch behind him and turned to see a large shadow over him. The shadow let loose a roar causing Andrew to step back to get a look at his attacker. A grizzly bear stood over him and growled at him. "A grizzly… shouldn't you be asleep for the winter…? Unless you're still hunting… and it's not common for you to be up in mid December. And I'm not equipped to handle you easily. Damn…" Andrew readied his bow. He had his bow while strong against different wildlife may not be able to harm the bear much or his Glock pistol which may be more effective yet Andrew was still not certain he could kill the bear without sustaining grave injuries. There was also his seven inch Bowie knife he had on him, but Andrew had no intention of facing down a grizzly with a knife. It was a literal man vs beast situation. Both the man and bear knew there would only be one survivor with neither of them having any intention of dying here in this cold, dreary winter.

Drawing the bow string back Andrew let loose his arrow sinking it into the bear's left hind leg. The grizzly growled at the man while lashing out at the man with a claw sending Andrew safely out of range of the bear. It growled and dislodged the arrow with little trouble seeing as the brown fur it had acted as a natural armor against most physical attacks doing little harm against it.

Andrew took aim again and panicked when the grizzly charged him forcing him to roll out of the way. He had but a moment's notice before the beast was upon him again lashing out with gnashing teeth. Once more, Andrew narrowly dodges the grizzly again as it sails past him once more preventing harm. The grizzly narrowed its eyes as it realized it would take more than charging its prey. It prowled towards Andrew and he once more raised the bow before the grizzly lashed out towards the bow before Andrew could aim towards it. The result was devastating. The bow was broken in the bears attack and Andrew was now sporting claw marks across the chest. Not too deep but enough for the grizzly to capitalize on its advantage.

Lunging towards Andrew the grizzly scored a wound to Andrew's right leg. Falling towards his knee he drew his Glock and started unloading into the bear forcing it to retreat for the moment. Andrew reloaded his pistol he hissed in pain from the wounds the bear gave him. Running away now was out of the equation as the wound on his leg prevented him from running. Andrew drew his Bowie knife and waited. He knew the grizzly would not leave and knew it had the advantage. If Andrew was not careful, the grizzly would taste victory here today.

With knife and pistol in Andrew waited once more for his opponent to show itself. Once more the bear revealed itself. Andrew swore he could see the grizzly smile in satisfaction. He aimed the pistol and let loose a volley of bullets at the bear. A few hit the bear but it only made the bear madder at the man. Andrew grew worried as he turned once more avoiding the bear for a final time before screaming out in pain from his injured leg. Falling to his knees he felt the blood pour faster from his right leg and a numbing feeling coming from it soon after. Andrew reloaded his final ammo clip and shot it straight towards the grizzly hearing it roar out in pain.

He smirked before falling to the ground with his leg unable to remain upward and dropping the pistol to the ground. Andrew looked up to see the bear dive towards him in its final attack. The wounded soldier brings up the bowie knife and luck seemed to be with him as the knife struck the grizzly in the head burying itself deeply within the skull. Unfortunately, the bear landed on his left arm and the weight of the bear broke his arm.

Andrew let loose a howl of pain and tried to yank his arm free of the bear but the weight was too much. Finally the blissful feeling of unconsciousness overcame Andrew as he blacked out from the pain.

 _Andrew's Dream…_

Groaning, Andrew opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground. Looking up he saw a clear blue sky which caused him to frown. This didn't make any sense to Andrew as he knew he was in a fight for his life. Moving his limbs around he felt no pain which caused the frown to deepen as he was gravely wounded, but was able to move around without pain… something was off.

Taking in more of his surroundings Andrew noticed he was in a park of some kind. His eyes widened. He knew this park. Or more specific, it was his childhood playground he ae to play when he was a child. The familiar slides, swings, and all the other familiar activities he had played when he was younger. It brought good memories back. Before he had become cold and detached. Before he lost what made him what he wa today. All the doubt and self-loathing at his failures. All what he had been before that tragic night. This place is what brought all the memories Andrew had tried to bury came to him here.

" _A good place to remember for you. A place that reminds you of a happier time. I thought it would be a good location that would bring you peace,"_ Melodic voice said from behind Andrew.

"Yes. This place does bring back good memories," Andrew agreed looking around some more before realizing how this entire situation was wrong. Andrew spun around to come face to face with a woman smiling back at him. Ebony-black hair, warm green eyes, heart-shaped face, narrow nose, and a full figure many women would kill for. All she wore was a simple robe. Andrew was not taking chances. Something about this dream was not right. It just felt… wrong. "Who are you?"

" _My name is Andraste. I have been watching you for some time now, Andrew,"_ the now named Andraste said. She walked past Andrew motioning him to follow. " _WE have been watching you to be more honest."_

"Who's 'we'?" The name she gave him was familiar… what was it?

" _The Maker… he watches over all his children, no matter where they are from. I suppose you would know him as God," Andraste responded._

Maker...Andraste…? Then it hits Andrew like a ton of bricks. She was the prophet Andraste from Dragon Age? But she was just some part of some game he played. How in the world can she be real…? "How in the hell are you real? Much less be here in my dream?! You shouldn't even be real!" Andrew exclaimed shocked.

" _Many things you assume fiction are indeed true. What you call Dragon Age is an actual series of events, not some game that you call Dragon Age. From the Warden, to Hawke, and even the Inquisitor are all people who will exist in Thedas. We know these events will happen yet the Maker nor I can directly interfere in the events that will take place,"_ Andraste explained.

"So everything in Dragon Age happens?" Andraste nods. "This is a lot to taken in. I thought it was just some game that people enjoyed. So… is the…?"

" _The Fade. The realm of dreams and demons to the people of Thedas."_

Andrew just grew more confused. "You said you cannot directly interfere with these events. Why?"

She frowned. " _We cannot directly interfere on events that will impact the world. The last few times it happened the Blight was brought upon Thedas, or the Black Plague that once almost cleansed Europe of life. The Maker and I now send champions to so our work since previous events often lead to disaster for innocent people."_

"Yet you show up to me, Andraste? I am not sure why you would appear before me. I'm just a soldier past his time and dying as we speak. What use would a broken warrior be to you?" Andrew asked.

" _You are already in pain, my child, and yet its cracks still show many years later. You say you are broken yet seek to heal. You fought that bear with your will wanting to live. You faced many years of torment without looking forward to the next day. However, below that you have the strength move on. You feel you are no longer needed, but that's not true. People need you. I'm asking you to help me,"_ Andraste explained.

"Why? What do you need me for?"

" _To save Thedas."_

"From?"

" _The events to take place. I need you to help the world I came from."_

"How will I be able to help? There are already people there who will solve those problems. The Warden and Hawke are but a few of these examples."

" _Yes, but how many lives will be lost because of the Fifth Blight is spread while the Warden travels to gather allies so the old God Urthemiel is slain? Hawke is ultimately broken by the loss of her family, like you are, but is forced to keep up a strong act so she does not appear weak when so much burden is thrust upon her shoulders while much is taken from her. You know this pain."_

Andrew merely quite as he listened to her. Could he do this? Andrew had no idea what could happen if he would make things better or worse for Thedas. Andraste is asking him to be more than Andrew had been for years. A hero the people needed to rescue them from the darkest hours that will plague them for the next decade. The former Marine is being offered a chance to be something more than what he is. It is something to consider, at least. "If I did this, what would happen?"

" _You will merge will a young, but extremely powerful mage. His name is Daylen Amell."_

Andrew's eyes widen. The Human Mage Origin? He would like the chance to do this. He knew he could help… both himself and Thedas. Though could he do it was the question. He knew it would be exceedingly difficult. And what of the young mage Daylen? Wouldn't he be taking over a young man's body? "What about Daylen? Did he agree to this?"

Another voice said, "Yeah, I did agree." Andrew turns around to see a young man that looked somewhat similar to him, but about several years younger. The first thing that stood out is the forest green eyes that stared back at Andrew with a serious expression in his eyes, but in the back of them warmth and kindness seemed to radiate from them. He is fairly tall reaching about above Andrew's own height about six feet with Daylen being an inch or two taller. He seemed well built, as if he spent years doing physical labor or fighting. Daylen is no bodybuilder, but he looked to be built for both speed and power, like a swimmer. The man had a fair tan to him indicating he spent a great deal of time outside. Daylen had a similar hair color like Andrew's own black hair, but it seemed to have a dark blue hue to it unlike Andrew's. The man is simple dressed in a simple white shirt and brown pants. Odd, Andrew thought the look did not fit someone like him. Daylen had the look of a warrior, not a mage, or a commoner as the clothes on him seemed to say.

"And you're not taking over either, we'd be merging souls. All that I know and you know would merge making us one person. I am ready, but are you?"

"You just accepted this?" Andrew asked.

"I had time to think about it, but in the end it was the best option. My world is about to become a shit storm if what Andraste told me is true. I never would want innocents to be in harm's way and I was always somewhat of a believer before Andraste appeared, and I answered her summons. If she believes in you, so do I. The Maker has never had a large influence in my life, so I'll trust His judgement for once. I trust Andraste. I saw your life until this point. You didn't have it easy, just like a lot of people. I have similar story, though we need you. If merging is what we need to do, then I will gladly do so," Daylen explained.

"But I have a life here!" Andrew argued.

" _No Andrew. Your body failed you and died. The wounds you suffered were too great and your body gave out. You are here because I summoned you here. You were destined to die in that forest, but we are offering an alternative. Merge with Daylen and live again. Save Thedas and enjoy a new life. Please… accept the offer,"_ Andraste begged. Andrew was not surprised he died. The wounds were enough to be lethal. With all the moving around he did the wounds no doubt got worse and infected. It was just… a bitter pill to swallow.

Andrew had no choice. He could die, but his parents always taught him to help those in need. Never on this scale before, but Andrew is willing to give it a try, but he would rather find out a bit more on the person he's merging with. "Okay… but tell me about your life Daylen."

"I grew up the first five years in Kirkwall before I discovered my magic. I was part of the noble family of the Amells. Though due to some political incident I was sent to Kinloch Hold, the Ferelden Circle of Magi. After we sailed the Waking Sea into Amaranthine and began to travel. Everything was well until we traveled to a small village that had been influenced by a powerful blood mage. The templars would attempt to kill the man but they were killed by the blood mage. He ranted on on how I would be some kind of sacrifice and was thwarted by an elven apostate, Vana. She would teach me various things such as to fit into society, my magic, and made into the man I am today. I left her a fifteen and began to travel rarely using my magic. I used the skills with a sword and shield to make a living. I would miss Vana, but she wanted me to experience the world and help people which led me to becoming a mercenary," Daylen finished.

"Really? In the game you were a Fereldan mage and grew up there. Got into some trouble trying to help a friend you made who turned out to be a blood mage. His name was Jowan if I recall. Sad thing was… Jowan did everything for a young initiate who turned on him the moment his secret was revealed," Andrew said.

"Really? Interesting…" Daylen began.

" _Gentlemen…"_ Andraste interrupted. " _So, will you accept the offer Andrew?"_ Andrew nodded along with Daylen. " _Then so be it. Daylen and Andrew hereby seek a unity. To become one in the eyes of the Maker to do His work. No more shall these two be separate, but one. One heart. One mind. One goal. To be peacekeepers, champions to the weak and helpless. Andrew and Daylen, become ONE!"_

Magical energies poured from Andraste and surrounded the two men who stared at each other. Two became one. Their memories became one. Their skills became one. The thing that made them different had become one. No secrets were hidden from each other as they were now one. Daylen/Andrew said, "That was… intense."

" _So who are you now?"_

"Daylen Amell. I'm still Andrew and Daylen, but my name is Daylen now since that is what I will go by now. What is my first goal?" It felt weird. Daylen could not describe the feeling of what exactly happened, but that at the moment it didn't matter.

" _Go to Ostagar. Join the Wardens. That is where your destiny begins,"_ Andraste told him. " _Though you will wake up five years before the Blight begins. Travel… heal… use that time to forgive and move on from your past. You will need to be strong in mind and body to withstand the events to come."_

"Yeah… That is some good advice. I'll do that, but this task, or even after that, will be hard to do alone," Daylen said as he turned and the playground that surrounded shattered. Now all that surrounded Dalyne and Andraste is a sea of black as far as the eye could see. Daylen began to fade away. He turned back to Andraste as she stood there smiling at him. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, huh?"

Andraste mere giggled at the mage, " _You'll not be doing this alone, Daylen. You'll have a group of loyal friends that you can turn to if you ever needed help. Also, you'll have someone you'll trust completely, someone who will be the one you can confide in with all your secrets, the one who will know of the truth of what is to come. She'll stand beside you through it all. All you need to do is look, Daylen."_

As he faded, Daylen thought, 'A woman who'll to stand beside me through it all? That would be nice but… I need to forget the past first before I even think of finding someone else to love…' Daylen gave a grin to Andraste. "Farewell, Andraste. May the Maker be with you."

" _And he with you, Daylen."_ Daylen completely vanished as he returned to the waking world. " _May you find the peace that has eluded you. You have suffered enough in this life. What happens in this world from this point on is in your hands."_

Andraste looked into the deep black void. Her green eyes losing the kind warm that she had when Daylen is here. The man, despite his knowledge of knowing what would come, could not predict everything. Some events could happen sooner than what the mage knew would come, but he did not know that. Even she is bound by laws that Andraste cannot reveal the consequences of actions that Daylen made. " _Even now, the first event that Daylen will be involved with is rapidly approaching. He knows the reason, but can he actually succeed? The events that get him involved will be quite different than the way he expects it to happen, but the solutions, he knows. Not to mention the partner Daylen's going to pick up along the way, and how that person will affect the outcome. You'll always be tested Daylen, remember that. It's up to you to make sure it ends well…"_

 ** _Killer999 here. As you can see Merging Destiny has returned with a completely new plot. I fixed some things and added some new content, but the vast majority is the same. After chapter 2 of the original came out I was... unsatisfied? I think that is the right word for how I felt. I put a lot of effort into the first chapter but I felt I slacked off extremely in the next two. So I decided to take it down and start it with a fresh set of eyes. I loved the first chapter so I felt no need to take it down. Now I feel as if I should give the pairing: Daylen (OC insert) X Tsaer Mahariel(Female Dalish Warden). If you want to add another pairing to this, simply PM or leave it in a review, though the character must be female. I feel odd as this pairing feels fine as is to me._**

 **I'll give a brief description of the character's skills.**

 **Name: Daylen Amell**

 **Class: Mage, Warrior**

 **Occupation: Apostate, Mercenary**

 **Magical Talents: Elemental, Spirit**

 **Specialization: ?**

 **Threat Level: Lethal**

 **I don't really have any specialization in mind so if you have any ideas tell me and I'll consider it. Throw any ideas at me I'll take them into consideration.**

 **Read and Review! Killer999 signing off...**


	2. Chapter 2

Daylen woke up to the sound of a breeze blowing through the area he is currently in. He took a deep breathe smelling the clean air around him, different than the mage is used to. Daylen recalled smelling nature back in his old world and it always had a slightly different smell that had been associated with human interaction with nature. Human intervention always seemed to cause more trouble, for themselves, and the entire ecosystem around them suffered for it. Then again, Daylen may just be overthinking it. The man did pick up that bad habit over the years as he prefered to think to himself than talking to people. The mage decided it would best to start his day because he would get nowhere if he remained here.

The first thing Daylen felt is a heavy blanket draped over his body. Pulling it off he noticed he is in a tan one person tent that is big enough for him and the stuff he had with him, or enough for two other people if need be. Tossing the blanket off him, Daylen stretched and groaned as the bones in his body popped with the muscles loosening making his body wake up. Taking a moment Daylen remembered he is camped along the road in the Frostback Mountains that lead to Redcliffe where he intended to make a short stop to resupply before moving on. The mage idly notes that would explain the cold wind that had been blowing around. Sitting back down he merely reached for his bag that had his supplies.

Inside the bag was a spare set of clothes from the ones he is currently wearing: heavy woolen white shirt, a brown cloak, brown linen pants, and his boots. The pouch of coins is quite obvious as Daylen had taken some mercenary jobs that helped the mage pay for supplies as he traveled which he intended to continue after he got out of the Frostbacks. An armor repair kit for the steel armor set that was next to the bag before Daylen grabbed it admiring the armor for a second before setting his sight back on the bag. Simple food supplies and a small journal that contained notes of his travels. Daylen then noticed next to the armor is a unique sword that did not seem to go with someone who is a mage like himself. Taking the sword of the sheath he looked down at the sword in amazement to admire the beauty of the weapon. The hilt of the sword is made of metal wrapped in hardened leather, the pommel of the sword is shaped like a dragon with a sapphire on it that seemed to thrum with energy, and the blade is a midnight black that seemed out of place for a sword. Along the blade an inscription of the sword's name is engraved: _Darksoul_. Chuckling lightly on the sword's name, Daylen recalled there was a game he heard that is called Darksoul, but he never played it, and found the weapons name a nice little coincidence. Sheathing the blade, he stood up and stretched trying to rid himself of the remaining sleepiness from his body.

Daylen began to pack his supplies back up and get on the road since he had no intention of staying in a cold mountain range for another night. As his packed his mind wandered back to his meeting with Andraste and when she merged the two souls of Daylen and Andrew. He could recall all the old memories of Andrew with perfect clarity and his old world where technology was millennia ahead of Thedas. The mage could still remember the sound of his old father's motorcycle as he went off to work to the sounds of gunfire as Andrew moved swiftly through the battlefield to the cold chill of his final hunt in Ironside Forest. However, he could still feel all the experiences of Daylen as well. He could recall crying as a young child as his mother, Revka, as she's forced to give him up to the Chantry to all his teachings on swordplay and magic from Vana, his old teacher who found him. When the two souls merged, it is hard to describe what happened between the two men. Daylen knew he was both, yet at the same time neither Andrew or Daylen separately anymore. He had the strengths of both men, and their weaknesses as well. The personalities between the two seemed to balance the other out. Andrew is a cold, serious individual in contrast to Daylen who is a happy, friendly man. Both were serious, but Daylen only is when the serious when the situation called for it. Daylen had a small fear of templars capturing him while Andrew did not fear the men and women who could suppress his magic. For everything they were, and are, the two men balance each other out in nearly every way. He is both Andrew and Daylen in their best form. 'Still, I can say I lived in another world while still alive in my current one… this is very confusing,' the mage thought as he finished packing. Deciding to put the armor on, he reached for the chest plate and began putting it on.

' _It is rather confusing, isn't it?'_ a familiar voice said in Dylan's head. He dropped the chest plate in surprise as he looked around the tent to see no one. The mage then took a moment to remember it was in his head, not inside the tent. A light giggle echoed in his head, ' _Relax, Daylen, it only me.'_

"Andraste?" Daylen asked still looking around with his green eyes narrowed. In the realm Daylen met Andraste, it was not unusual for this to happen, for it was the Fade. He knew that was where normal people went to dream and where mages are fully aware of their surroundings while non-mages could not. Daylen knew he could be tempted by demons in his sleep, or even forced possession in some cases, but knew nothing about what was happening now. Though Andraste has more power than any other mage alive so her talking to the mage in his mind is completely possible.

' _Yes, but speak in your head, you look crazy talking to no one when speaking out loud. There's no need for any alarm. I merely came to see how my herald is doing,'_ Andraste said with humor coloring her tone. She knew the mage would more than likely react like this fearing he could become possessed by a demon. ' _There is no demon here to possess you, Daylen, so relax.'_

'Relax?! You shouldn't just barge your way into my mind when we both know I would believe it is some demon! And why are you calling me your herald? I'm not the Inquisitor, Andraste, so I don't believe that is a suitable title for me. Just call me Daylen,' he said irritation. 'And why are you in my head so soon? I thought I would not be seeing you for some time.' He resumed putting on his armor.

' _No, what you do from here is entirely up to you. Enjoy what this world has to offer you, but you must be vigilant when you hear news of the Blight. It is five years until it will begin, so feel free to do as you will, but remember, every action could have a possible consequence later,'_ she warned Daylen. ' _And as for being my herald, didn't I ask for your help? You are my champion here in Thedas. The Maker and I cannot interfere directly in events that will shape Thedas, so we have to look for 'champions' to help us protect the world in its times of great danger. You, Daylen, are the first that has been needed in centuries.'_

Daylen chose not to comment on the 'champion' part because for some reason Andraste had a pained tone in her voice. He could just not bring himself to continue this line of thought. 'I know that my actions will have consequences. You think I don't know that? I am just still trying to get accustomed to all this… it's just very unusual trying to think like two people. However, I'm much more… calm than I use to be while not being so self-depressed all the time. I feel...happier? I'm definitely different from before, I would usually spending hours on end self-loathing and hating the world for the things that happened to me while caring little about the people around me. It cost me more than one friend from my attitude towards them and any remaining family did not want a 'troubled' kid hanging around them, but luckily my grandparents took me in while upset with my other family members. I made so many mistakes that it feels… odd to have a new start at things,' Daylen replied as he finished putting on the last part of his armor. Shifting slightly, the mage put on the familiar armor with the weight of it bringing a sense of comfort. Grabbing Darksoul he strapped the sword into position across his back. 'Though I know you're right. I will be careful in my dealings here and try not to influence too much. I appreciate the chance you have given me, Andraste, and wanted to say thank you. I am truly grateful for the chance.'

' _Your welcome, of course. Everyone deserves a second chance, though some remain in darkness, continuing down the path that they walked for so long. They refuse to give the world a second chance looking onto it with no care to it or the people around them. It take true strength to keep moving on, you took small steps staggering along the path, but you kept clawing walking no matter how much you stumbled,'_ Andraste said mysteriously making Daylen rub the back off his head.

'That's doubtful. True strength, I'd not associate those words with me too much. I stumbled along the way more times since Lisa's death than I could care to admit. I thought the cycle of people I care for dying was over, yet it just continued, and I forced myself into a shell slowly crawling out… reminds me of a turtle… great now I compared myself to one of the slowest animals around,' Daylen said feeling like an idiot for screwing up his words.

Daylen could feel a sense of amusement, not his own, but Andraste's. She smiled lightly at the thought of the people who cared for him. They were people who refused to give up on him. Truly kind and caring people to try to reach out despite the attempts from Andrew to push them away. However, each time he tried that, he failed. ' _Yet you still had people reaching their hands out to you to pull you out of your darkness. It's like you were drowning in a lake and you just keeping going down… but your old friends like Emile, Scott, Rachel, Layla, and your old captain Nick to your old grandparents. It was friends and family like those who refused to allow you to distance yourself from them. Your connection to them was so strong you just could not sever the connections you had with them. One by one they tried to pull you out of your self-loathing. Even if you tried to push them away, they refused. Slowly, they made their way into your hardened heart. Even if you kept up the emotionless act, you could no longer find the strength to push them away. All because they believed in you, for even when you submerge yourself in darkness, they used their hands to pull you back up. You tried to shake them off… to make them let you go, they would just scream at you to wake up. They knew the connection you made with them just would not disappear and believed the feelings they had for you would get through to you. To them, it didn't matter how you looked, you just had to stand up again and regain the fire in your soul. For your own sake… for the sake of your future… they gave you the chance to return to how you were: a kind soul who cared about others.'_

Strapping his sword to his back and making sure it's firmly in place Daylen replies, 'That sounded incredibly corny.' The mage would swear he could feel Andraste pout in the back of his mind causing him to let out a chuckle. 'Thanks for that though. Those guys are extremely stubborn when they put their minds to it. Good people you wouldn't find often these days who didn't have some ulterior motives. They had their flaws, but I did enjoy the time I was able to spend with them. A family of misfits, if there ever was one.' By this point, Daylen had already packed up everything and had the cloak wrapped around his body to shield his body from the bitter cold of winter. 'I have to be ready though. I have one hell of an adventure coming ahead.'

' _Indeed.'_

'So, what now? I didn't even expect to hear from you for quite a while, so I'm curious on why I'm hearing from you now,' Daylen admits. Andraste is a mystery to the mage. He knows her story of how she grew up in Denerim to how to she became the most prominent figure in Thedas in the centuries to come. Though many gaps in his knowledge about her past were still there as he knew nothing outside the games and Daylen before the merge never chose to learn more than the basics leaving him with little knowledge on her background.

' _To give you my farewells, Daylen, and to check up on you. I won't be able to speak with you for some time as my presence alone can make the world react to me being here for extended periods of time, be it good or ill. I will come and speak with you every so often, but I thought it wrong to just throw you to the wolves without a proper farewell,'_ the goddess answered.

'Thank you for everything, Andraste,' the mage said.

' _No, Daylen, you have a rough path ahead of you. I don't deserve thanks for putting you into this position-"_ Andraste began.

Breaking out into a grin, the mage interrupts the goddess with a smile on his face. 'I came willingly, remember? For me, this is the second chance I was hoping for. As for what I'll face, who cares?' His grin widened. 'I know there's more danger in this world than in my old world, sure, but I'm happy for some odd reason. I just can't explain it. You don't need to feel bad for any reason. I'll give it my all to save this world. I give you my word!' Daylen knew he still had a lot of personal issues to work out before he would be able to return to his previous self fully, but he could honestly say he's happy for the chance to do so. It will be a long road and he knows it will be hard, the mage couldn't bring himself to be upset or angry right now because he was saying goodbye to a new friend.

' _Thank you Daylen. I give you my best wishes. Farewell, Daylen,'_ Andraste sniffed as her sounded happy and sad at the time as her presence faded from Daylen's mind.

'You as well, Andraste.' The mage knew his personality had shifted drastically which is why he thought the goddess appeared before him. When Daylen and Andrew were still separate in the Fade, he came off as a serious individual to Andrew when he had met the mage. Daylen, in truth, had always been an easy going person unless he saw or heard things that would bring out a different side to him: the smarter, more serious side that people would come to fear. When Andrew peered into Daylen's eyes the former Marine could not detect a hint of emotion from them which made the soldier shudder, then suddenly filled up with a sense of warmth. While Daylen looked at the former Marine, he felt a tinge of sympathy for Andrew as he could see from the dull eyes that held little life in them. Even the mage at the time had doubts this man would be the right choice for him to merge with. Daylen had knowledge of possessions, forced and willing, but he would be merging with a man who had little reason to help them could change him for the worse if the two became one soul. The mage merely thought of him as a 'broken warrior' as Andrew himself even call himself that. Though looking deeper Daylen saw a fire inside the former Marine: kindness, happiness, and a will to live. It was just buried inside so far that he could not rise up from the bitterness or agony Andrew had been in for years. Unlike Daylen who had been surrounded by people who cared for him, Andrew aside from a select few had no one.

When the two had begun the process of their souls combining, Daylen could feel the feelings and memories of Andrew as the mage grew a new respect for the man he watched them. The mage saw a twelve year old Andrew talking with his father about stuff a father is supposed to teach his son such as how to handle women. Andrew's mother giving a six year old Andrew advice as she saw her son hopelessly confused in the situation he was in with his new baby sister, Sophia, when he accidentally broke her toy. To giving Sophia a large bear he won at a local carnival that had come to town and watched the four year old girl jump her older sibling. Daylen smiled at these happy memories but frowned as he watched how Daylen felt his heart shatter at the news of his family and his rage at the sentencing of the man who killed his family. Even the mage felt this man deserved more than simply going to prison. He saw the light in the soldier's heart die as he held a dying Lisa, the woman Andrew loved, in his arms as the marine wept for his lover.

The truth was the same for Daylen in reverse as he saw memories from Daylen's past as he grew up. The former Marine saw him ripped away from his family as Daylen cried out for his mother as the weeping woman could not do anything for her child. Andrew felt his blood boil at the sight of this reminding him of what happened to him. He then saw the memory of Daylen cowering at the sight of the blood mage who killed the templars to Daylen watching with wide eyes as a beautiful elf woman came to his rescue. The memories sped up as he saw Daylen grow under the woman, Vana, whom he came to think of as his mother since his memories of his childhood mother faded away with time. He saw all the good and bad time they until Vana one day posed a question to a fifteen year old Daylen, "You know I'll always love you, right?" Daylen was confused at the question and nodded at her causing the woman to tear up before she gave him a hug and kiss goodnight. Daylen woke up the next morning to find her gone with her leaving him a letter to give him a hint that Vana was even there. Andrew saw how Daylen searched for Vana with months going by before he had to give up. The former soldier saw Daylen travel making friends and even found someone he came to love, Ashe, a fierce human warrior who captured his heart as he did hers. To the massive fight that saw Daylen and Ashe surrounded from all sides as they were swarmed by Tal-Vashoth mercenaries which led to both being severely wounded. Friends they were to meet up with came to their aid to help drive off the qunari mercenaries. Like him, she died in his arms as the wounds were beyond Daylen's magical abilities to heal with his mana reserves so low. But unlike Andrew, he didn't let darkness consume his heart. Daylen had found solace in the comforts of friends who helped him. It showed when it came to strength of heart, Andrew knew Daylen had him beat.

By the time the flashbacks ended both had finally merged they were one person. The personalities and experiences are what made them who they were, what made them unique had created someone different than who they were alone. Daylen and Andrew alone had different strengths and weaknesses than others before they joined which stood apart from each other. Daylen had the strength of heart to endure what life had thrown at him while Andrew simply tried to close his heart to other refusing bonds. Andrew's refusal to acknowledge the people around him was his greatest shortcoming while Daylen had often put other people before himself which led himself to excessively dangerous situations. The greatest strengths both had with Daylen's magical skills from how he was able to befriend people while Andrew had been able to fight in combat and the care he had for those he still held dear to him making him able to fight on. The experiences and personality that made them who they were balanced each other out. When the merge ended, the person who came out was calmer and happier than Andrew had been while still more knowledgeable on how people acted and more observant than Daylen had been before the two souls had been united.

Sighing lightly, the mage left his tent to look around with his breath being taken away of the natural beauty of the Frostback Mountains where he camped for the night. The crystal clear lake not far from his camp reflected the sun's light illuminating the area around Daylen. The snow itself was the purest white he had ever seen with a few odd scattered trees that seemed to thrive in the environment they grew in. Despite the similar setting he died in during his first life, Daylen could definitely admire the natural beauty this place had. "I think I'll definitely like this place. I suppose I could just wander since I have no responsibility at the moment. Or maybe deal with lingering problems that will be an annoyance in the future. Whatever, at this moment, the road is my home." Looking off into the distance, the mage decided it was time to get moving after he finished packing up camp.

 _ **A year later(Brecilian Forest)...**_

A year later nineteen year old Daylen Amell is currently inside the Brecilian Forest trying to track down the corrupted eluvian. Not much has changed for the mage since he came to Thedas. Spending time traveling and taking solo mercenary jobs lead to him have a sizable fortune. Daylen had made a good reputation for himself among the continent as he traveled making friends with the lowest peasant to some highly influential nobles.

He traded in his full steel armor for a very similar version of the steel armor found in Elder Scrolls Skyrim. He decided full plate armor was too heavy for his fighting style so Daylen had chosen to switch his armor into a lighter set of steel armor. He chose to make the base of the armor from a strong cloth made of Highever Weave which he deemed strong, safe, and warm if he encountered with cold but light and flexible enough to dance around the attacks of opponents since he uses one sword in his left hand to fight. The mage knew that the expensive cloth had was tough to grant decent protection from physical attacks. So he used the cloth to form the base pieces from the armor: chest, gauntlets, greats, and boots. He added a wolf pelt to make the pieces more comfortable for the mage to wear and not have it hinder him any more than necessary. Choosing the metal for the armor was a bit harder seeing how expensive the higher tier metals were. He could not have the armor be pure dragonbone or volcanic aurum since armor made from these kinds of metals were expensive. So he chose a less expensive option which would be a mix of two metals. A mix of dragonbone and strengthened steel to provide good enough protection but not too expensive to bankrupt Daylen since the Highever Weave was costly enough. The dwarven mastersmith he hired to handle the job, Vogin Dunak, was a friend he had made after a dwarf carta had been giving the man trouble. Daylen had offered to 'resolve' the dwarf smith's troubles since the man had no money to hire him since the carta had been raising the costs for 'protection' even though they caused most of it. The two afterward had formed a strong friendship and had made the armor free of charge.

As good as his word, he spent a great deal of time reflecting on his past on how he spent it and how he planned to spend the future. Pondering what he did wrong and how he reacted to it make him think a great deal. Taking up meditation, it did a great deal to help him relax while clearing his mind of his troubles. Simply taking a breather helped Daylen keep him on track from all the burdens he had had helped the mage greatly.

As for why he traveled to the Brecilian Forest, the mage deemed the corrupted eluvian too great of threat to leave unattended to seeing how this is the reason behind the Dalish Warden's recruitment, the threat of the mirror attracting darkspawn, to affecting Merrill's future for the coming years which could result in the destruction of her clan, and to Tamelen becoming a ghoul due to the taint in the eluvian. Daylen knew of the dangers that the Brecilian Forest represented though he had little care as he could handle himself well enough with his skills. He knew even he was no invincible deity and even with magic at his command he could fall in battle like any other person could. The mage decided he could prevent the entire situation Merrill's clan and whoever the possible Dalish Warden is.

Not that he held any delusion that he is alone. Since he entered the forest he could feel the Veil being thin allowing spirits to travel through more easily. Daylen had already fought a good number of sylvans and wild animals as he made his way through the forest. He fought the occasional demon or bandit, but the mage had seen no Dalish or the werewolves of the forest even though he knew a few clans were here. Daylen swore he saw a werewolf earlier, still, he couldn't confirm it because the 'supposed' werewolf was just for a second and he had no doubt they knew of his presence, yet had so far done nothing to confront him.

Daylen looked around once more swearing he heard a noise. He eyes narrowed he looked around but saw nothing. The mage would admit the forest had a great natural look to it. The trees stretched quite high into the sky blocking sunlight partially though still allowing light to come through. He is resting against a tree to settle his body down from the mage's last encounter with a few bandits that decided to hide in the forest and that he would be an easy target. It was the last mistake they ever made. Though they did get a few hits on him and the previous traveling which caused him to need to rest. Besides, the mage needed to check the map he bought to find where the ruins that held the corrupted eluvian was, anyway

Daylen merely used the map to trace the ruin's general area from memory, no perfect by any means he knew, but he had no way to be sure of the exact location so he circled the area's location so this is his best bet. Looking down on the map he made his way from Denerim along the main road where he eventually cut of the road heading to the direction of Dragon's Peak briefly where he continued to head south until he reached the forest. Daylen came across several ruins but they were not the one he sought. They had been infested with animals, undead, or demons but he had come to expect that in ruins. Some had puzzles the mage had to solve and others had just been completely collapsed leaving him no choice but to leave.

Rolling the map up he stood up once more feeling he mana reserves back to normal after the brief rest he had. Another nice thing he learned is that the mage had excessive mana reserves due to his training with primal magic, or elemental, since this school of magic had the most mana draining spells in most cases due to it being the most commonly used. The reason this magic class uses the most mana is because it is mostly combat focused which leads to mages to pursue this field of magic which is the most destructive, if not common. Success using this type of magic varies from mage to mage, but the mages who truly master this field are a hard foe to face in battle, even to templars who face the mage, and sometimes more dangerous than forbidden magic like blood magic. This is the face of magic that most people think of when they hear the word 'magic'.

Daylen had spent months building up his reserves after he came here by using up his mana in large amounts. It worked like exercising, your muscles, endurance, and health all improve and grow stronger the more you do this. By constantly using mana and letting it recover naturally, the mana the mage's body eventually produces more mana so the mage can cast more spells. Using lyrium potions will refill the mana reserves the mage has faster, but it only can refill the levels of mana the mage can use, not making it grow like training will.

Stretching to get the stiffness out of his muscles Daylen began walking again as he made his way further into the Brecilian Forest. Keeping his eye darting from side to side the mage did not see anything or hear anything out of the ordinary until he looked closer towards the trees. It had the distinct form of claw marks. Looking closer he could try to identify the thing that had created these claw marks. They were five slashes were going diagonally down the tree. Daylen ruled out wolves almost immediately as the claw marks were too high and didn't have any resemblance to them so he knew it wasn't them. Bears are a possibility, but the mage knows what their signs look like, but it didn't fit this one. No, Daylen had to think these were the werewolves that infested the forest. The claw marks look like they were made recently, if not more than a few days, and he didn't like the thought of this. Looking on the ground he saw more evidence of the werewolves involvement. It looked like more than one had been traveling through here and he'd say a large pack made their way through here which he had to guess they were chasing something or someone down. Walking further along where they headed he could see signs of people being here at some point. It's just a single cottage, but it was collapsed. Daylen shakes his head. 'It's ancient. Not anything of note.'

Against better judgement, he followed the trail the werewolves left behind. Something did not feel right here and he needed to get to the bottom of it. The mage had been walking but as the trail had been becoming more and more recently he went into a small jog until he smelt the familiar scent of blood. Kneeling down and using the bushes as cover he crept his way closer to where the smell of blood got stronger. Peering through the bushes he saw a sight that boiled his blood and made him see red.

A group of four men and two women were standing over a prone figure who was not moving. Daylen could make out the figure of it being female and could see the blood beneath her. Deciding to wait he could hear one of the women say, "She didn't go down easy. Damn knife ear put up one hell of a fight."

One of the men kicked the downed elf, "Bitch took down Ransley, Jonas, and Anissa before the poison began to take effect. Still took down five more off us poisoned. Why the hell is this Dalish whore wanted so much!"

The other woman who hadn't spoken yet replied angrily, "Shut it, Trey! We were hired to hunt down a Dalish because we were hired to. We only made it by the werewolves and those damned trees thanks to Anissa because of her magic! We had thirty of us to start off and lost enough people to this forest. We found the elf wounded from some kind of attack and we were lucky for this, and she still took eight of us down." Daylen frowned. An attack? Wouldn't a Dalish clan have enough numbers to hold off an attack? So why was this Dalish elf alone and wounded?

The man sneered. "It was you who chose to take this job, Lia! I warned you that this was foolish. We don't even have the numbers to leave the forest safely! Even if our employer, that damned Orlesian noble, got it…!" Right before a flash of silver went past Trey and a gush of red appeared before the mercenary's neck. Lia stood there wiping off her blade off with the blood of the man she just killed.

Lia merely looked down on the now dead man. "I don't like back talk from hired help. I paid you to do your job, like all the others who died here who knew what they were being paid to do. Now you grab the elf and we move. More carefully as she is wounded. Let's move!"

Daylen truly had no need to get involved in this. The mage had come here to handle a more important issue than playing hero. That eluvian is a danger to keep around and could cause this area to be completely flooded with darkspawn. He deemed it far too great a threat to simply leave around for someone else to find. A cruel thought process… but this is not the reason he came here.

However, Daylen never could turn anyone away in need. It's not as if this was the end of the world where he knew he may need to turn his aid away. The mage back before the merge would have simply moved on with the task he had to do. A far cry from what he is like now, but still feels ashamed of admitting what he would have done before this. So he began to help people if they could not afford it, a stupid choice if one thought of it logically, still he did it anyway as his way of atoning for his actions in the many years of walking away from people in need of help.

Reaching out for his mana, he cast a _Force Field_ on the fallen elf along with a healing spell _Regeneration_ , one of the few spells he can use outside of his two main magics he mastered, so he didn't have to worry about the Dalish woman dying. The group of mercenaries looked around trying to find the person who casted the spell. "Find who casted the spell and kill the person who did!" Lia ordered. Lia looked at the barrier and knew she could not retrieve her prize until the mage who casted the spell was dead. She also noticed her valued target's wounds were healing so whoever did this didn't want the elf dying.

The mage waited until he heard footsteps approach him and he counted the steps until he grabbed one of the man who shouted before he was completely frozen by Daylen. The shout alerted the other four who turned to see Daylen raise himself from the bushes with Darksoul drawn since he knew his cover was blown.

Lia looked at the man briefly and said simply, "Remove the spells on the elf."

Daylen merely looked at the woman now that he had a better look than he had before. She definitely was a warrior from the build her body had while merely looking to stand about 5 and half feet tall. Cold brown eyes with dark brown hair she definitely was decent looking with a scar going along her right eye. "What do you intend to do with her?"

"Not your concern," Lia answered.

"Then you know I will not remove the spell. I know you have no good will aimed at the elf so I won't remove the spells."

"Kill him." The two men charged with one wielding a greatsword and the other had a sword/shield combo with the woman behind them with a bow. Lia merely watched as her goons would deal with the mage who decided to be a hero. 'Shame', Lia thought to herself, 'a young man about to die for his foolishness.'

Raising his hand, Daylen once more choice ice to be his weapon on the woman with the bow with _Winter's Grasp_ freezing her completely solid. The mage sidestepped the man with the greatsword and blocked the sword strike with Darksoul. His hand reached out to the merc with the greatsword with flames gathering on Daylen's hand unleashing _Flame Blast_ on the man. The flames consume the man completely burning the mercenary where he once stood. The hired soldier who had been trying to overpower Daylen merely stood deadlocked with the mage.

Daylen's focus returns to the man who barely registered as a threat to the man. He had no strength behind his attack. Both of the men he killed charged him with literally no technique as they just charged him like mindless idiots. The one with the great sword had strength but that was all. The one he currently facing just had no technique where he just relied on strength like his friend… he seemed not to have enough skill with the weapons he wields. Taking a step back he dislodges his sword from the other man's making him fall forward causing him to fall to the ground. Raising Darksoul he merely stabbed the man in the heart and looked toward Lia as he calmly walked forward. "Seems like you lackeys are not too skilled," he said as the mage stopped a few feet in front of Lia.

She nods. "These were the leftovers from the true fighters I had with me. The little she-devil over there took down the remainder of my more skilled fighters while these...idiots… were all I had left. This damned forest took them away from me from the moment I got here. Anissa had casted a spell that stopped the werewolves from smelling us, but not them from seeing us. We lost a few from repelling the first attack. Then came those spirit infested trees and then once more the werewolves attacked us further thinning our numbers. This forest is cursed. It cost me friends I had come to care for over the years."

"Indeed. Though I suppose we both know what comes next," Daylen said tiredly. Sometimes he just got tired of pointless fighting.

"Yes, we both knew how this ends. I am Lia, captain of the Wingless Dragons. And you are?" Lia asked the mage. The woman may be a hardass and cold at times, but she prefered to know who her opponent's name. The last few new 'recruits' were not people she would associate herself with, but she needed a few more men than the ones she had worked with for years. The remaining few she had with her were not people she cared for, just hired thugs that were replacements for the friends who fell in battle in her previous job.

"Daylen Amell."

She smiled sadly. She knew this was not a fight she could win. This man she was facing seemed to exude confidence and she had led a mercenary captain for many years something told her this would be her last fight. For the first time in a while she felt at peace, as oddly as it sounded, but she would be seeing her friends soon enough. "Well met Daylen Amell. Let us make this last battle one to remember." She bowed and got into a stance.

"You as well Lia. Shall we finish this?"

She nodded and Daylen slipped into his own stance. Both warriors could feel their bodies thrum with energy as they felt the coming Daylen this felt as if it was a boss fight, if it were in a video game. He studied the form Lia was in but saw no holes in her defense leading him to believe she is used to this fighting style spending years works out the flaws in her forms. Lia is also is studying his form which confused her. She saw no true form of a fighting style which had the captain confused. His body is loose and looked ready for any attack she might attempt, but it is just a basic stance with no pros or cons. Still, she knew the man is also a mage knowing he kept one hand free to cast spells. Odd, seeing how even she knew it was easier for a mage to cast spells using a staff. Anissa informed her that it was easier which made her wonder on this mage's combat style.

Both took a steps forward and began exchanging strikes to get a feel for the other's skills. Both had made the correct guesses on the others but the fight itself was invigorating each warrior as their blades constantly clashing on each other. Blocking a cut for the neck Lia struck back with a feint to the leg which Daylen went to block. Shifting her wrist she angled the attack for the neck and Daylen seeing his opponents muscles shift slightly realized the shift in her attack. Once more the blades are locked with both opponents at a stalemate.

The warriors both push each other back causing both to slide back. Lia decided to test his defense as she launched her own series of attacks from all sides. Daylen blocked a good portion of them but still got some minor cuts along his right leg and arm. He merely grunted as both clash again.

Daylen decided to switch up his fighting style as he slipped into a different stance from before which made Lia frown. His sword lay out in a defensive position while his right arm tensed. He launched forward with Darksoul and she scrambled to block the attack. She felt her armor tremble as she blocked the blow as Daylen was one using one arm for his attack which startled the warrior as she hadn't seen the power from before. She saw his fist come forward toward her which she moved her head to dodge. She put a lot of force forward since Lia had both arms on her sword and overpowered Daylen.

Lia saw the smirk on the mage face where he loosened his strength on his sword allowing her to further overpower him as Daylen steps away from her allowing her to come forward causing her to lose balance for a second and she felt a pain in her leg and hissed in pain. He swept her feet causing her to fall to the ground with Daylen to raise Darksoul to pierce her heart. He brought the sword down as Lia rolled to the side. Lia quickly responds by kicking Daylen with enough power to stagger him which surprised the man since from the position she was in Lia should not have that power.

Daylen knew the end of the battle had to end. He calls out to his mana and Darksoul ignites into black flames while Lia rose to her feet. Lia narrowed her eyes and knew her opponent wanted to end the fight. Once more the two clash, but this time Lia's sword began to melt from the intense flames. She heard a 'snap and felt an agonizing pain emerge from her chest. She looked down to see Darksoul piercing her chest and looked Daylen in the eyes seeing those green orbs filled with remorse knowing he took no pleasure in this deed.

Daylen removed the sword from Lia's chest and she fell to the ground. Lia looked up at Daylen and the mercenary captain smiled. "Well… it was a good battle…"

Daylen wipes off his sword and looked down at the fallen foe. "Yes. I… am sorry."

"Sorry for what? We knew this job was unethical, but we needed the coin fast. One of my men made a stupid bet, and it landed him in debt. I took a job were an Orlesian noble wanted a Dalish elf. She never said why she wanted one but I would do anything to help one of my own. Even if others would frown upon us…" Lia said as her eyes dimmed.

"There's always a better way." Daylen could not agree this job was the answer to the problems her friend faced. It just led to more death than anything else.

"I know… though I-" Lia never finished the sentence as her heart had finally stopped. Daylen had seen death long enough to become use to it. Most of the time he had been one to deliver the killing blow to whoever or whatever he was facing. Raising his hand, the earth began to absorb the body of the fallen captain. Daylen decided Lia at least deserved a proper burial. The man knew the woman was not bad by nature, she just made some bad decisions as all people do. However, now she is no longer a concern of his.

Turning back at the Dalish elf he rescued he walked up to her and raised an eyebrow. The most striking feature that stuck out to him was the snow white hair she had. Recalling all other elves he had seen he noted he did not see this kind of feature so the mage deemed it unique to see a hair color like this. He remembered only one other elf with this kind of hair color: Fenris. It was a white or silver color, but forthe world he could not exactly remember. Her body was lean and had the build of a rogue with her wearing the female version of the Dalish armor. She didn't have the muscle to be a warrior and Daylen could sense no magic or mana in her body other than trails of his own when he healed the elf, so she's no mage. Her face was heart-shaped, a light tan indicating she was outdoors a lot, a short straight nose, her pointed ears as an elf, and full lips. Daylen would say she would be quite popular in the look department even if she was an elf.

He ended the spell and looked toward her closed eyes to see her eyes move indicating she was dreaming. The mage nodded "Good. You live. I would hate to think you died on me since I did not know the extent of your wounds. Let's get you healed up correctly this time, alright? Now we should move away from here since no doubt the dead bodies will bring scavengers."

After finding a safe location far away from where they were, Daylen set up his bedroll and gently put the elf on it and the unconscious Dalish sighed contently in being more comfortable He spent a great deal of time healing the Dalish properly and purge the poison from her body. It took a few hours and the Dalish was as good as new. The mage always prefered to make sure to be completely sure to be he did it right when he healed someone. The Dalsh would need sleep and it was unlikely she would wake soon.

Andrew collected the elf's weapons and set them down next to her. Two daggers, a Dalish longbow, and a quiver of arrows were the Dalish choice of weapons. Both the bow and daggers looked extremely worn and well used if the condition they were in gave him any indication. They were in good condition, despite the years of use they looked to have.

Andrew left the camp for a few minutes to gather wood for a fire and water so the elf would have something to drink when she woke. The man was also hungry as it had been a long day. After he made a fire he set some meat and vegetables in a small pot he brought with him. He would need his patient to eat like he did.

 _Midnight…_

Daylen sat at the fire warmed his skin and heard the sounds of nature quiet down with it. A noise could be heard every now and then, but other than that silence was all that could be heard. The mage just sat there reading a book as he heard a moan. He glanced back to see the elf stirring and he looked back at his book. She had been making more noises as the hours passed which mostly was talking in her sleep and grunting a few times. He took it as good news though and continued to read.

A few more hours pass and Daylen though tired made no motion to sleep. He had long since finished the book he was reading and simply stood guard. He heard more movement from the Dalish and turned to see her sit up. He stood up and readied himself seeing as he had no idea how she would react to him.

Tsaer opened her eyes and she felt something warm covering her body and her head on something soft. The pain in her body was gone and all she felt is soreness. It is a struggle to just move her body. Tsaer guessed the warm feeling is a blanket while her head rested on a pillow. She pushed the blanket off and looked around. She expected to be with her clan since she was out on a hunt and then… the ambush! She was ambushed by some elves and humans. She managed to take down a few before she realized she had been poisoned. Tsaer had fallen down and remembered nothing else.

Tsaer noticed that her weapons lie not from from where she is lying. She guessed her clan mates had collected her weapons as she tended to always keep them close as she had trained herself to always be ready for a fight. The elf moved her body slightly to test it out since she had been in an exceedingly one sided fight until she was overwhelmed. She felt no pain so she guessed Keeper Marethari healed her and is letting her rest.

The Dalish elf then noticed her surroundings as she was not in an aravel of her clan instead lying on the ground in the middle of the forest. She looked around and saw a human male looking at her. On instinct she reached for the the bow not too far away from her. Tsaer grabbed the longbow and an arrow quickly shot straight at the human who was staring at her.

Daylen made no move to dodge the arrow as it mode its way toward him. He merely let the arrow burn as it was a foot from his chest which was the elf's target. He saw her go for an arrow but she was paralyzed with a _Crushing Prison_ preventing her from making another movement. The mage saw the elf struggle against the spell though her efforts proved fruitless as the spell had completely left her body unmovable.

She glared at the human and snarled, "Let me go, shem!" She had no idea he was a mage, but that just proved him far more dangerous than before.

"You would not be in that spell had you not attacked me. We can talk calmly like civilized beings but I won't be harmed for no reason," Daylen replied calmly as the elf stared with blood red eyes at him.

"Why would I want to speak with you since you could be associated with the shemlen who attacked me for no reason," Tsaer growled back at Daylen. All she had been doing was hunt for her clan and had no intention of making any issues to any human. She knew some were bandits, though the same could be said for the 'flat' ears that lived in human cities. Though her clan is in the Brecilian Forest to avoid humans because no sane person would come here and had not been populated by humans for centuries.

"Explain then why you were free to move and not in shackles? Explain why your weapons were next to you when you woke up? Explain why you are healed and not wounded in the least? It's because you were rescued by me from the people who tried to capture you. I simply sat here waiting for you to wake up and you attack me? I know there is bad blood between the Dalish and humans so I will not fault you for your reaction," Daylen explained the the elf.

Tsaer looked back at him with a frown. What he said was true. Tsaer was free when she woke up, she had her weapons, and he only defended himself as she herself had attacked him. He made no move to kill her since this position would be easy to kill her if he wanted to. Tsaer when she thought about it felt foolish. The elf did not trust the mage, but she would be civil with him. "Fine, I give you my word not to attack unless provoked. Can you please release me?" She felt the spell lifted and she could move again.

"Come," Daylen said as he headed back to the fire. He sat down even keeping his guard up since the mage he had very few dealing with the Dalish in his travels. To his surprise the elf came up and sat down in front of him across the fire from where he sat.

He made a bowl of the stew he made and handed to her which she stared at the bowl for a few moments. He sighed. "If I wanted to harm you I would not have risked my life to help you. I can give nothing else than my word that I have no desire to harm you, your clan, or any other Dalish clan I meet. I can only give you that as you gave your word to me. It's a lot to ask on faith, I know."

Tsaer gazed into his green eyes to detect a hint of a lie but all she found was a sense of worry. She froze for a second and took the bowl from the human which got a took a bite and her eyes raised in surprise. It was good! She finished the first and quickly downed a second before her stomach was satisfied. She looked at the human and saw he was reading. She saw the title which read 'Hard in Hightown' by a Varric Tethras. "Excuse me," she said. The human looked up with a raised eyebrow. "May I ask you your name?"

"Daylen Amell, and you are?" Daylen asked curiously.

"My name is Tsaer Mahariel, of the clan Sabrae," she replied. Daylen's eyes widened at that name for a second before returning to normal. He saved the Dalish Warden from dying! This makes no sense, why would he run into the Dalish Warden? He sighs. Of all the people to rescue, this is definitely odd.

Daylen nodded and resumed reading with Tsaer sitting there quietly thinking to herself. She was worried about her clan and had no idea where they were if they had left the previous place they set up camp. She is not dead thanks to Daylen, but she won't last out here alone forever. Then another thought popped into her head. Why was Daylen here? From what she saw, he had a good heart, so he wasn't in the forest to cause trouble. This place tended to be avoided by all but the most desperate of people. It was one of the reasons the Dalish were in the forest. Tsaer couldn't think of a reason of why he would be here. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Depends on the question," Daylen responded.

"Why are you in the Brecilian Forest? This place is dangerous to even my people. You must have a good reason for this."

He closed the book and sighed. He was here to break the eluvian that would be a threat to her friend Tamelen and her reason for becoming tainted. He could not lie because he knew she would see right through him. He might as well just be honest and go from there. "I came in search of an ancient ruin that is said to have a dangerous artifact. I am here to destroy it so no one has a chance to use it."

Tsaer raised an eyebrow. She more than likely thought it an eleven ruin but there have been numerous ruins in this forest with some being elven and human with traces of both being in some ruins. Most had been picked clean however and useless to search for them. "What do you seek?"

"A mirror called an eluvian. It is said to be what the ancient Tevinter Imperium used for long range communication. I also know it is from your ancient elven society, but I don't know what the ancient elves used it for. All I know is how Tevinter used them for, unfortunately. I sensed a tainted presence similar to the darkspawn in the forest, but it had a… different feeling to it than a darkspawn did. I used the Fade to track the feeling down and the eluvian gave off the presence I felt."

She is tempted to ask for more information and definitely curious on what else he knew on the ancient elven cultures, but Tsaer had to find her clan, and anything else at the moment is irrelevant. A time for more questions could come later if he was willing to answer them. "Thank you."

"So how did they almost capture you?" Daylen asked after she had been quiet for a while. He was curious to know how they got her.

"A group of about a little over a dozen surrounded me and attacked before I could question them. I fought them off for as long as I could in a game of cat and mouse picking them off with my bow. They managed to catch up to me and I face them off in close quarters and killed all but five of them before the poison they had on their blades numbed my muscles, and passed out." She sighed. "It was embarrassing I did not think of that earlier. Though I noticed too late."

"It happens to the best of us. Don't be ashamed, you did have a lot of disadvantages against you and it was not an easy fight."

"I suppose," she said giving the mage a small smile before slipping into a sad one.

He notices her saddened expression and asked, "Is something wrong, Tsaer?"

"I miss my clan."

Daylen now knew why she didn't ask more. She cares more about finding her clan than what he knows about her culture. He had a feeling she gave up to easy. "Do you know where they are?"

She nodded. "They should be back a few miles where we are now, from what I'm guessing."

Daylen smiled. "Then we go bring you back to them later today then."

"We?" she asked confused.

"You will need help to return to them. This is a dangerous place for someone to travel alone. I do so because I can fight off a dozen men by myself or handle any simple forest creature because of my magic and sword skills. You can fight well from what I heard the mercs say, but it will be dangerous to leave you unattended."

She glared and was tempted to bite back with a reply of her own, but she knew he meant no offense. "Fine. You should get some sleep. It will be decently long trip to where we are camped. Just keep yourself under control once we are there since some in my clan with no hesitate to put you down."

"As you say, Tsaer. You can take the bedroll. Goodnight." He cast a barrier to keep anything or anyone away from the camp just so the mage could sleep easily. Daylen merely laid down on the hard ground and despite the feeling of being uncomfortable was fast asleep seconds later from the hard day.

Tsaer looked at Daylen and heard his light snores as he slept almost as soon as he laid down. "Thank you, Daylen, for saving my life. I wish you the best after we part ways." She herself went back to the bedroll to sleep and like Daylen soon felt slumber takeover her.

Little did either know that destiny had other plans in mind for them.

 **Yo, I am back with another update. I put a lot of effort into the chapter and am glad to see how it came out. I switched it up a lot so it turned out different several times. I am putting more effort into detail(places, environment, mythology, writing, emotions, people) than I had previously did. I intend to keep it up and give it my best effort. Every chapter I believe should have 8000-10000 words, a lofty goal I hope to keep. I hope this chapter came close to what you would expect. How do you think I did?**

 **Tsaer Character Information:**

 **Name: Tsaer Mahariel**

 **Class: Rouge**

 **Occupation: Dalish Hunter**

 **Talents: Archery, Dual Wield**

 **Specialization: Tempest**

 **Threat Level: Very High**

 **Daylen's specialization I think is leading to Arcane Warrior since I believe how it fits his close quarters combat style. His secondary will be Spirit Healer.** **Ideas? I'd like to hear them. These are the default options for Daylen.**

 **Reviewer Response:  
**

 **Guest: Thank you. Glad you think so.**

 **Ljuhl: thank you for thinking so. I hope the chapter lived up to expectations since I put a lot of effort into it.**

 **Read and Review! PM me if you have any questions or wish to talk. Check out my other story, A Second Chance, a Naruto fanfiction.**

 **Killer999 signing off**


End file.
